Whether you call it the Red Barn, Larch Park or the old daycare lands, it is clear the Town of Canmore intends to develop the site and it is reaching out to the community to actually design it.
Similar to a charette process, an intense period of design activity, Canmore’s planning department has organized a community design workshop for Nov. 1, beginning with a pancake breakfast at the Canmore Golf and Country Club.
But the workshop is only one part of the day’s planning and development, as planner Kate van Fraassen said the breakfast is meant to get people socializing before they get to work.
“When we met with community members for feedback on the process itself the big thing we heard was to incorporate some kind of social aspect,” van Fraassen said. “It is really important for helping relationship building for people to be able to have more casual conversations than just sitting across the table from one another.”
The municipality has been meeting with community members for feedback on the process and another aspect to be addressed is what the area should be called.
“The other thing that we have been aware of and are trying to address is the language is really important,” van Fraassen said. “There are neighbourhood names for this site, Larch Park is on some maps, internally we have been referring to it as the old daycare project and that is a name we inherited.
“It was really clear that how we talk about the site matters.”
The group discussions in the morning will see participants actually start to draw out what the site could look like on an aerial map.
In the afternoon, consultants will take the information gathered and work separately to come up with rough concepts. Those will then be presented at the Civic Centre at 6 p.m. that night and more feedback gathered.
“In the afternoon, the design team would refine the concept and that is what would be presented back in the evening. After the presentation they will refine the concept into scenarios and that will again go for more feedback before it goes to council,” van Fraassen said.
Development of the 17th Street site has been considered several times in the past and rejected due to neighbourhood objections. With the daycare moved to the Roundhouse and the old daycare demolished, residents of the area have clearly told council they want it to remain a park and open space.
With the June 2013 flood and the reality that expensive long-term mitigation will be needed on Cougar Creek, council directed administration to look at the lands again to raise $4 million to contribute 10 per cent for mitigation, which includes a $40 million proposed debris flood retention structure.
Meanwhile, Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association executive director Ron Remple indicated in an email the organization would rather see all lands used for affordable housing.
“This is an important development in the Town, and BOWDA has been stressing the need for Perpetual Affordable Housing on this land,” Remple said. “BOWDA’s official position is that all of the land should be used for PAH, and none for market housing. The town has a critical shortage of PAH, and thus the municipality should take the lead to provide this in our community.”
Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by Oct. 30 at [email protected] or 403-678-1543.
